INTERVIEW: Gordon Shedden on driving “the most unlikely racing car in the world”
Think 'racing car', and your mind will inevitably conjure up an image of a single seat and scarlet paint job. Ferrari is so deeply embedded in motorsport that the two are almost inseparable. But Volvo? Not so much. A racing Volvo is such a rarity that we're still talking about the 850 Estate that starred in the BTCC 30 years ago.
But the 850 wasn’t the only racing Swede. At the 82nd Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport, we caught up with three-time BTCC winner Gordon Shedden to talk about his unlikely racing car here at Goodwood – a turbocharged Volvo 242T.
"The Volvo just looks like the most unlikely racing car in the world,” Shedden said, “but you know, it's amazing how many people stop past the garage and look at it, and I think it's got a bit of a cult following, and I think that's pretty cool.”
Shedden is more familiar driving a Chevrolet Camaro Z28 at Goodwood, and admitted the Volvo wasn’t quite what he is used to. "To be fair, it actually drives okay, a bit different from the Camaros. It's turbocharged, so it has some real positives."
One of those positives is the power - around 356PS (261kW) of it, the delivery of which is “easier” according to Shedden. “Lots of turbo lag, and you know, everything it was in the early ‘80s, I guess, so it takes a little bit of thinking about. But it is cool, it is different, and it was nice to be able to kind of mix it up against the Boss Mustangs and the Camaro.”
Shedden put the Volvo eighth on the grid for the start of the Gordon Spice Trophy Part 1 and was up to fifth before the end of the first lap. Sandwiched between the Ford Mustang Boss 302 of Romain Dumas and Tom Ingram's Chevrolet Camaro Z28, the Scottish racer seemed to work in perfect harmony with his machine, the Volvo a Mitchell to Shedden’s Webb.
Surprising then, to learn that he "hadn't even sat in it until yesterday morning, so I didn't know whether it was a left-hand drive, right-hand drive or anything. [It was] very much learning on the move. I think it's quite nice that at Goodwood you [can] just jump into random things and just get on with it."
Shedden wasn't giving any clues away about how to extract the best from the Speedy Swede, confirming, matter-of-factly in a way that only a three-time Champion could. "I've driven enough of the old stuff now, whether it's E-types or Cobras or GT40s. It's just another car, you just get into it pretty quickly. I think if it had poured with rain I'd have been happier with something front-wheel drive, but the sun was out a lot so rear-wheel drive was fine."
He did have advice for anyone making their racing debut at the Members' Meeting: “Just enjoy the event and enjoy the spirit of the event. It's not about risking everything to win. As race drivers, we want to be competitive, but you've got to understand the reasoning why we're all here. It's an event for people to enjoy, to celebrate these special cars, the fact that they're still racing, so you've got to understand the reasoning, why this event exists and be part of it."
Amen to that.
Tickets for the 83rd Members’ Meeting will be available for a limited time immediately after this year’s event for Members and Fellows of the GRRC. Admission and Grandstand tickets will go on sale on Monday 14th April for Members, and Wednesday 16th April for Fellows.
Photography by Toby Whales and Jordan Butters.
members' meeeting
82nd members' meeting
82mm
event coverage
gordon shedden
volvo 242T
Gordon Spice Trophy
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